Mercy Ships Africa Blog

Just a few weeks ago a new team arrived, carrying loads of anesthesia training equipment in their luggage. Almost all the anesthesia providers in Liberia have already participated in an online training course in SAFE Obstetric Anesthesia, which was offered by Mercy Ships in partnership with the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA). Now, local Liberian anesthesia providers have welcomed teams to the country to facilitate the next level of practical training.

For more than three years, Hounsigbo lived in total darkness, cataracts clouding her vision in both eyes. Before, Hounsigbo had been busily working in her village in Togo, going every day to the forest to cut trees and weave mats out of their branches, selling them to earn a living. But now, the 70-year-old spent her nights and days in a small room in one of her children’s homes, her eyes watering constantly. If she wanted to eat something, she waited until her grandchildren brought it. If she needed to use the washroom, her grandchildren led her there. She was completely dependent on her family to survive.

The political and scientific leaders of Africa are developing a plan to strengthen surgical, obstetric, and anesthetic systems from within over the next 10 years. In May, led by the government of Senegal, these efforts will converge at the International Symposium on Strengthening Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthetic Care Systems in Africa by 2030. This event is part of an overarching Mercy Ships Africa Celebration, marking not only a step forward for the surgical systems across the continent, but a celebration of the 30-year partnership between Mercy Ships and the nations of Africa. None of this would have been possible without our supporters all over the world. And you’re invited to be a part of it all.